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City strikes deal for development of Staten Island's Farm Colony, closed for decades

Updated on October 25, 2013 at 11:35 AMPosted on October 25, 2013 at 10:00 AM

FarmColonyRendering.jpg

The Farm Colony in Sea View is slated to become Landmark Colony, a senior citizen community with approximately 300 residential units. Five of the property's 11 buildings, including one in this artist's rendering, are expected to be rehabilitated.
(Image courtesy of Vengochea and Boyland Architecture/Urban Planning)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The city has struck a deal with a developer to resurrect a handful of decaying landmarked buildings on a property abandoned nearly four decades ago.

The old Farm Colony in Sea View is on the verge of undergoing a transformation that will turn the fenced-off, unkempt and vandalized grounds into Landmark Colony, a senior citizen community that will include approximately 300 units in a historic and environmentally friendly setting, according to the city's Economic Development Corporation (EDC).

The 46-acre section of the site will be developed by NFC Associates, LLC, with a total investment of $91.7 million. The buying entity is manned by Raymond Masucci, who constructed The Tides, a residential senior community in Charleston seven years ago.

A formal announcement is being made by EDC president Kyle Kimball and City Councilman James Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn) Friday morning on the grounds along Brielle Avenue.

Five of the 11 buildings dating from 1904-1931 on the Farm Colony land are slated to be rehabilitated for occupancy, with one for mixed use -- residential and a community center -- and another for storage and utilities. A sixth building will be stabilized and turned into a green house and garden. The remaining five buildings will be demolished in consultation and with the approval of the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC).

Approximately 30 period-inspired carriage houses are also set to be built on the grounds.

The winning proposal was selected following a "request for expression of interest" issued in spring 2012. According to the EDC, the concept was a perfect fit for the site located in a protected historic district and a special nature area district because of its previous use as the New York City Farm Colony and the property's proximity to the Staten Island Greenbelt, respectively.

"After decades of vacancy and multiple attempts to reactivate this historic site, the former Farm Colony now stands to transform into a thriving area that will complement the surrounding communities," said Kimball. "The special character of this site demands a plan that exhibits sensitivity to its extraordinary history and draws inspiration from the surrounding landscape. We are confident that, thanks in large part to the dedicated efforts of Council Member Oddo, the Landmark Colony will honor Staten Island's past, provide housing for seniors, and create an exciting new opportunity for the borough's future."

Oddo had fought to bring life to the property since taking office in 1999.

"I'd drive by and these buildings would taunt me," he said of the 14-year struggle -- "swings and misses" -- that included a potential suitor for the property in Globe Institute of Technology in 2007. The deal fell apart before it was ever consummated when the school lost some of its federal funding.

With the 65-and-older population in the borough projected to increase to 103,000 by 2030 -- for what will be a 100 percent increase from 2000 -- Oddo said the development is critically important.

Oddo said this gives Staten Islanders not wanting to leave the Island for similar communities an incredible housing option. The councilman also said this project eliminates high-density housing and the possibility of all of the landmarked buildings being destroyed.

"This guarantees that [the city] puts something there that benefits the community, that the community needs," said Oddo.

A 188-bed assisted living facility called The Brielle at Seaview is in the works across from Farm Colony, and another 104-unit complex for senior citizens, Park Lane at Sea View, is located on the campus of nearby Sea View Hospital Rehabilitation Center and Home.

The city has owned the property since the 19th century, according to Advance archives. It served as a community where the poor were housed and taught various skills. By 1975, the wooded 98-acre Farm Colony was abandoned and its historic buildings were left to the vandals, squatters and the elements.

A groundbreaking expected to begin in the fall of 2016 will follow the Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP).

The project will create 250 construction jobs and 41 permanent jobs, said the EDC.